


A Hand in the Dark

by InkyWandmaker



Series: Shield and Strategist; Royal and Runner [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Blind Ignis, Blood, Canon Disabled Character, Graphic Description of Injuries, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum - Freeform, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-05 03:11:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11004741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InkyWandmaker/pseuds/InkyWandmaker
Summary: Gladio stood speechless, blinking in shock as he struggled to comprehend the words. Ignis blind? The idea was inconceivable. Ignis was a strategist, he watched and calculated, delivering deadly strikes to the enemy in their weakest areas. Ignis couldn't be blind, he justcouldn'tbe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright guys, it's time for the obligatory Chapter 9 feels dump so spoilers for that I guess. I'm writing this chapter from Gladio's perspective and starting it at the evacuation of the citizens vs when Ignis regains consciousness because I haven't seen many fics explore Gladio's finding of Ignis.
> 
> As always my works have no beta and I rarely proofread so there are probably typos so reader be warned. Without further ado, enjoy~

\---

Gladio impatiently waved the mass of people forward, away from the absolute shit show that was the summoning of Leviathan. The Nifs had shown up, like they thought they would, and they were doing their damnedest to make everything 12,000 times harder than they needed to be. As it was, there were only three of them on evacuation detail and they were spread so thin and far apart that Gladio hadn't seen Prompto in over and hour and Ignis had been out of his sight since the whole thing started and it was setting him on edge, his instincts screaming at him that splitting up in this situation was a very very bad idea.

"Move it!" Gladio was probably a little more gruff than was strictly necessary, these people had every right to want to stop and stare- it wasn't every day a goddess appeared and started destroying your home- but by doing so they were only slowing down an already inefficient operation and extending the time it would take before he could see his partner and charges again and assure himself that they were okay. Reluctantly, the group of stragglers tore their eyes away and continued running.

It was not going well, that much Gladio could tell.

Noctis was currently getting thrown around by the goddess, point-warping from rubble heap to rubble heap just to stay in range. Gods only knew what was happening with Lady Lunafreya what with the army slowly surrounding the Oracle's platform and the tide waters literally rising.

He couldn't focus on that, he had a job to do and he just had to trust that Noct would do his. A little girl tripped in the surrounding chaos, crying out in fear as people continued to run over and around her without stoping to help. Gladio quickly forced his way into the crowd, pushing people harshly away and forward so that he could get to the girl before she got crushed. Exhaustion pricked at the fringes of his body, his body aching for him to just sit down, but he ignored it.

Slowly but surely the crowds were getting smaller, tapering off as more and more people made it out of the city. Gladio was relieved to see Prompto again, his bright yellow hair unmistakable against the chaos as he waved people forward, his pistol in hand. The imperial dreadnoughts seemed to be multiplying, raining endless MTs down upon the remaining citizens of Altissa like some kind of demonic storm cloud. Gladio swung his great sword over and over, cutting down magitek infantry men like trees but they just kept coming. A quick glance to his right showed Noctis, surrounded by glowing royal arms, turning the tides against the Tide Mother to the relief of everybody present who wasn't a Nif.

Gladio tried not to think about how long it had been since he had seen or heard from Ignis, telling himself that the other was a strong young man who was more than capable of handling himself. Ignis was probably fine.

Probably.

Gladio shook his head. No. He had to be fine, they needed the royal advisor too much for them to loose him and Ignis _knew_ this. He would not allow himself to fall before their goal was accomplished; that just wasn't the kind of person Ignis was.

Of course, when Gladio had told himself that he had forgotten that their "goal" at the moment was the safe evacuation of the citizens of Altissa, not the bigger "take back Lucis from Niflhiem and seat Noctis on the throne" goal. 

When the last of the citizens had made it out of the crumbling city safely, the first person Gladio had seen was not the one he wanted to see the most but was a welcome sight anyway.

"Hey Prompto, you alright?"

The blonde was banged up, sure, with a black eye and busted lip and various other scrapes and bruises but he was walking unassisted despite the slight limp to his left leg. "Nothing that won't heal, you?"

"Fine." Gladio swallowed, unease starting to overtake him. It was now several minutes since the three of them were supposed to rendezvous and although he knew that Ignis could be late for any number of perfectly normal, non-life threatening reasons, he couldn't help the sinking feeling in his stomach that something was wrong. "Hey, have you seen Iggy?"

Prompto frowned, eyes betraying the fact that he too was thinking along the same lines as Gladio. "Not since I got back from dropping Noct off. He did have more people to get out than us though so maybe he's still doing that?"

Gladio hummed noncommittally, looking over towards where he knew Ignis was stationed. Making up his mind, Gladio shouldered his sword and started making his way over, pace carefully controlled to hide how freaked out he really was. Prompto hesitated behind him, torn between following Gladio and continuing on to help Noctis, but ultimately he fell in step behind Gladio as there was very little he could do to help Noct by himself.

Gladio picked his way through the rubble, gradually moving faster and faster as panic started to clutch at his heart, making it hammer in his chest. 'Faster,' it urged, 'you're already too late.'

It felt like it took ages to get to where Ignis was supposed to be stationed, the tremors and whirlwind of water made everything uneven and slick and getting past the empire wasn't easy either. When Gladio realized that Ignis wasn't where he was supposed to be, the terror increased twelve fold. Frantic, Gladio started looking for anything that would point him in the right direction.

A trail of blood leading away from the ensuing battle towards the ruins of what used to be the city center was not the clue that Gladio wanted but he followed it none the less, breaking into a run before sliding to a halt, his face going white and his sword clattering to the ground before disappearing into the ether.

"Iggy!" his voice sounded strange, like someone had kicked him in the stomach but Gladio hardly cared about that.

Ignis was laying on his side, facing away from it all, but his body was limp and Gladio wasn't entirely sure he was breathing. However, the worst part of it was the pool of blood surrounding Iggy's body, the very edges of it slightly darker than the center and slowly creeping outwards. Gladio ran forward, his lovers name on his lips as he dropped to his knees, skidding forward another few inches from the momentum of his sprint. Gods only knew where Prompto was; his gate slowed by his limp, Gladio had ran on ahead without thinking but Gladio couldn't focus on that right now.

"Iggy! Iggy please- wake up! _Ignis!_ "

It was with a huge sigh of relief that Gladio noticed Ignis' chest rising up and down, breathing slow and shallow but breathing none the less. Gladio carefully looked up, his eyes following the bloodstains on his lover's shirt up towards his face where he gasped. His right eye had a gash from his eyebrow to his eyelid, seeping dark sluggish rivulets of blood as it started to clot. Gladio wrapped an arm around Ignis' torso and lifted it off the concrete and onto his lap where his head continued to roll to the side bonelessly and Gladio swallowed, his mouth and throat bone dry. Gently, he used his hand and turned Ignis' face towards him revealing the left side of his face and Gladio almost lost it right there.

"Oh Iggy..." his voice was raw and choked, marred by emotion.

There was hardly any flesh left on the left side of his face that wasn't scraped raw or bleeding but the worst of it was centered around his eye. Even now, with his own eyesight blurred with tears, Gladio could see where whatever had done this had shattered Ignis' glasses, tiny shards embedded into the wound. He was sobbing now, gently cradling Ignis' body against his, protecting him from further harm. Carefully, Gladio tucked an arm under Ignis' legs, picking him up and carrying him like a bride.

Gladio choked back another sob at the thought, trying not to think of the ring in his bag that was meant for Ignis when the time was right. It was just as he was turning around that Prompto finally arrived, limping badly now. The blonde took one look at the situation and paled, his freckles becoming even more pronounced as he stood frozen in horror.

"Ignis is he- is he-...?" Prompto trailed off, unable to finish the question lest it be true.

"He's breathing," Gladio didn't even care that he was crying in front of him, nothing seemed to matter except the gravely injured man in his arms. "We need to find help. Now."

"But what about Noct?"

Gladio felt rage bubble up in his chest, his teeth gritting and fists clenching. "To hell with Noct! Look at Iggy! None of this would have happened if it wasn't for Noct!" Gladio knew he was being unfair, that it wasn't really Noctis' fault that this had happened but Gladio needed someone to blame, a face to pin to this tragedy and until Ignis could tell him who did this, Noctis was going to be the scapegoat.

Prompto held up his hands in a soothing gesture and Gladio noticed with a frown that they were shaking. "Easy there big guy, let's go get Iggy a doctor; Noct can wait."

Gladio nodded, feeling bad about snapping at the kid. Prompto didn't deserve that but Gladio could hardly trust himself to speak much less apologize. They moved as fast as they dared with the extent of Ignis' injuries, taking care to not jostle him around too much. By the time they finally made it out of the city to the evacuation point and into the medics' tent, Ignis was terrifyingly cold and barely breathing. A woman rushed over, her face etched in a sickening mix of horror and grim determination when she saw her patient as she quickly waved Gladio forward, Ignis' condition moving him towards the front of the line due to the severity of his injuries. Gladio gently laid Ignis down on one of the cots at the far side of the tent, quickly pressing a kiss to his lover's cold forehead before being shooed away, the doctors crowding around Ignis to try and do what they could for his injuries.

Numbly, Gladio wandered back over to where Prompto was, the blonde sitting in the corner of the tent by the entrance, his leg stretched out and being examined by a young woman with black hair. Gladio plopped down beside him, his face answering all of Prompto's questions. They sat in silence, the woman wrapping a compression bandage around Prompto's sprained ankle before taking her leave. Gladio was staring down at his arms and hands, shaking at how much blood was on them. He was used to blood, often being sprayed in battle gore but it was different this time. This was _Ignis'_ blood, the very life force of his beloved, and it belonged inside of him, not caked on Gladio's hands and tank top. Noticing this, Prompto quietly asked a nurse for a wet rag and handed it to Gladio so he could wipe some of the blood off. Gladio absently took it and sponged the red off of his skin while he stared off into space, looking at everything but not really seeing it. Prompto started fiddling with his wristband again, a nervous habit of his.

The First Secretary arrived, walking up to where Gladio and Prompto were seated in the dirt and coughing politely. Prompto was the only one who looked up.

"I appreciate your help in the evacuation of my people, this would have gone much worse had you not been here."

"Yeah, thanks..." Prompto's voice was far off, sad, and the woman picked up on this, getting to the point so that they could be left alone as soon as possible.

"As I understand it, the Right has been completed. We still aren't sure what exactly happened but your Prince has been found. He is alive and seemingly well, although he won't wake up, and it appears that he has the Ring of the Lucii in his grasp. I've made arrangements for where you'll be staying and he has already been taken there."

Prompto's face contorted in worry when she had mentioned Noct not waking up but he otherwise nodded. "And the Oracle?" he asked, voice pinched. His feelings regarding his lover's fiancé were understandably complicated but he knew that Noctis cared deeply for her and it was for his sake that he asked.

Camelia frowned, her face sympathetic, "Her whereabouts are unknown but it is likely that she is no longer with us." Prompto nodded, biting his lip. The secretary beckoned them up, her face neutral, "Come, I shall take you to where you'll be staying."

Prompto carefully got up, wincing at the pain in his leg. Beside him, Gladio finally looked up, his face hard. "No. I'm not leaving Ignis."

Ms. Claustra frowned slightly in confusion before understand dawned over her face. "Ah yes, the Prince's advisor. I'd heard he was injured. I'll have him brought up once the doctors are through with him."

Gladio opened his mouth to protest, to tell her that he was not moving until he knew Ignis was alright, until he saw that he was alive and well, but Prompto gave him a pleading look, begging him to come with him to see Noct and Gladio pushed himself up, following the secretary the short distance from the refugee camp to the fancy hotel just outside of the city where they were staying.

Prompto nearly crumpled in relief when he saw Noctis, serene and safe in bed. The blonde pulled up a chair and went to take his lover's hand only to find that it wouldn't unclench from a fist. Instead, Prompto took to leaning forward on the bed, resting his head on his folded arms and staring up at Noct.

Gladio, on the other hand, restlessly paced back and forth with a vengeance. He was worried and angry, terrified of losing another person he loved. First his mother, then his father, then Jared- he couldn't fathom losing Ignis too. Ignis was quite literally family at this point; Iris called him her brother and honestly? He was. He had made her many birthday cakes and shared countless recipes with her, never minding her hovering around him in the kitchen. He had held her while she cried when Gladio couldn't be there, he gave her advice, he genuinely cared for her and Gladio loved him for it. Clarus Amicitia had also loved Ignis as a second son, appreciating everything Ignis had done for his children, and Gladio was sure that Ignis thought of Clarus as a father figure and Iris as a sister- which made since seeing as he had lost his father and little sister so young.

As it was, Gladio wanted to punch himself for waiting so long to propose. He had wanted it to be perfect when he popped the question so he had waited, keeping the ring he had bought ages ago safe and sound in its little box at the bottom of his bag. Now he was just praying to the gods that he would get the chance.

It felt like an eternity waiting for the doctors to be done with Ignis even if it was really only an hour after they had arrived at their hotel that the woman who had first helped Ignis gently knocked on the door and entered. Prompto looked up, getting to his feet in a rush when he saw who it was and Gladio took several strides forward, not thinking about how intimidating it must feel to have to deliver bad news to an extremely muscular 6 and a half foot tall man who was looming over you.

"Well?" he asked, his voice raw with emotion. The woman bit her lip, clutching her clipboard to her chest.

"He's alive and stable. We did what we could but...his eyes..." she took a deep breath. "His left eye is badly damaged, there was no way we could salvage it so we just healed up the skin around it and closed the wound to protect it. He will never see out of it again. The right also sustained damage but we can't be sure how extensive it is until he regains consciousness. If he does regain vision in it, it won't be anything close to what it once was. I'm so sorry, there was nothing we could do."

Gladio stood speechless, blinking in shock as he struggled to comprehend her words. Ignis blind? The idea was inconceivable. Ignis was a strategist, he watched and calculated, delivering deadly strikes to the enemy in their weakest areas. Ignis couldn't be blind, he just _couldn't_ be.

"Can I see him?" The woman must have heard the shock in his voice and she nodded, her eyes gentle.

"He's one room down to the left."

Prompto tactfully decided to give Gladio some alone time when he went to see Ignis for the first time for which Gladio was immensely grateful. He had no idea how he would react when he saw Ignis and it would be nice to not have an audience. He hesitated at the door, taking a deep breath and steeling himself for the sight before setting his face and opening the door.

He wasn't ready. Gods he didn't think he would ever be ready.

Ignis was on his back, head resting against the pillow, and the doctors had removed his shirt to access the minor wounds on his left shoulder leaving him with only his undershirt on. Gladio was surprised to see Ignis' left eye un-bandaged but it quickly became apparent why.

His left eye had been closed, the eye beneath unsalvageable, and the doctors had simply healed the flesh closed over it, permanently sealing it shut. The right was closed on its own accord, his lover still unconscious from the trauma of his injuries.

Gladio looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears. 'Why him?' he asked the gods, bitter beyond words. 'Why couldn't it have been me?'

Carefully, he took a deep breath and walked over, pulling an armchair over to Ignis right side and slumping down into it, physically and emotionally exhausted. Gladio resisted the urge to cradle his head in his hands in self-pity, opting instead to find Ignis hand and lace their fingers together, staring at the entwined digits until sleep finally overpowered him. His sleep was fitful, plagued by nightmares and broken by the slightest disturbance. 

Gladio vowed that he would never allow Ignis and him to be split up in battle; never again would he be unable to assist his lover in his time of need.

He would be there when Ignis finally woke up. He would help him through the upcoming trials. Gladio would always- _always_ \- be there for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! The next chapter is gonna be from Ignis' POV and pick up where he wakes up. I also have a few other fics in the works including some more Prompto sadness and some Gladnis sexy times so look forward to that in the near future.
> 
> As always, Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes this was hard to write, both emotionally and technically. I've never had to write a story from the POV of a blind person discovering they have lost their sight and boy was it hard so I'm sorry if it's really short!
> 
> This is also unedited so forgive the glaring grammatical errors/typos. Otherwise, enjoy!

\---

When Ignis woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he had a slitting migraine- the kind that make you want to throw up and hide in a dark room. The second thing he was aware of was that he was, in fact, in a dark room. The third was that there was someone beside him, the deep breaths suggesting that said person was asleep. He tried to sit up, unable to stifle a groan when every muscle in his body screamed in protest.

Beside him, the breathing faltered, the hand laced with his squeezing. "Iggy? Are you awake?"

Something about Gladio's voice set Ignis on edge. He could hear the hesitation in the question, the rawness of his lover's voice suggesting that he had been crying. "I- Yes...Where are we?"

"In a hotel room just outside Altissa," Gladio tightened his hold on his hand and Ignis tried to force his heart to stop racing through sheer willpower alone.

"Ah- would you be so kind as to shed a little light on the situation then?" Gladio made an odd chocking noise and Ignis stiffened, "what's wrong? Is it Noctis? Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Gladio's voice was still strained and Ignis tried to figure out what was wrong, wishing there was some light so he could read his lover's face. "Noctis is fine but-"

"And Prompto? He is fine too? Was Noctis successful? How is Lady Lu-"

"Ignis please," Ignis stopped, startled at how pained Gladio sounded and the unease doubled within him. "Please stop. Just- stop and let me talk..."

"...say on."

"Iggy, were all fine. Noctis is sleeping in the other room and Prompto is watching over him." Hesitation. Ignis was not used to feeling that emotion coming from Gladio and he didn't like it- not one bit.

"Then I fail to see what the problem is."

"Iggy, you're the one who's hurt. They said- they said that-" Gladio couldn't finish the sentence and cold dread started to wash over Ignis. Carefully, he started taking stock of his body, starting by wiggling his toes and moving up. Everything seemed to be in working order, a little sore, and then it hit him.

His head wasn't throbbing because of a migraine.

Carefully, Ignis lifted his hands to his face, flinching at the raw scar tissue now covering the left side of his face and the other scars that cut into his lip, nose, and down his right eye.

"...Gladio," Ignis took a shaky breath, his voice carefully controlled, "how bad is it?"

Gladio reached out and gently pulled his hands away from his face, clasping them in his warm ones gently. "The doctors said the left eye is done for, you'll never see out of it again. They aren't sure about the right but...well..."

Gladio didn't finish his thought, the simple idea of telling Ignis that he might regain 'partial vision' in his right eye like it was some sort of consolation prize just seemed so...cruel. Ignis nodded, understanding the meaning anyway and he allowed himself a moment to be devastated, to take his hands back from Gladio and place his head in them, to allow himself be consumed by grief. There were no tears, the shock and scars making it impossible, but the hollow, hopeless, helpless feeling that tore through Ignis' chest was worse.

Much much worse.

Exactly thirty seconds later, Ignis lifted his head, his composure back in place. "But you are alright?" he asked, his voice a forced calm.

"Yeah, I'm- Im fine," Gladio tripped over the words, whatever reaction he was expecting this wasn't it. "Iggy..."

"And Noctis and Prompto are fine as well?"

"Yeah but-"

"And Lady Lunafreya, did she manage to pass the ring to Noctis?"

Gladio took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Yeah, Noct has the ring but the Oracle she's...she's gone."

"Ah." Ignis frowned, his heart going out to her loved ones- to Noctis and Ravus, to the many who adored her- but what was done was done and if Noctis had the ring, than their goal was still the same. "All the same, we must move on. If Noct has the ring then our next stop is Cartanica; there is a royal arm there and we shou-"

"Will you please stop!" Gladio shouted, his voice booming and venomous. "Please... Iggy, you're hurt-"

"Yes Gladio, that has been made abundantly clear but ultimately, my injuries are just a single drop in the ocean of sorrow surrounding this whole situation. Do you really think-" Ignis took a deep shuddering breath, his fists clenched tightly in the bed spread, "-do you really think that my blindness is the worst thing to happen to _anyone_ at the hands of the empire? I am one of _thousands_ , Gladio. There are countless men, woman, and children who have died in this idiotic war. In the larger picture I am _nothing!_ " Ignis punctuated his sentence by slamming a fist down onto the mattress, his words ringing in the eternal darkness eerily.

Cautiously, a warm hand rested over his clenched fist, carefully prying his fingers apart. With a start, Ignis realized that he was crying, bitter tears seeping out of his milky right eye slowly. Gladio gently brushed them away.

"Ignis...it's okay to grieve for your own losses. It's okay if you need more time to heal, to come to terms with everything." Gladio lifted up his hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. "I can give you time. We can get through this Iggy, together."

Ignis choked back a sob, nearly doubling over as a myriad of emotions flooded over him: grief, helplessness, love, fear, adoration- he would have drowned in them if it wasn't for the man beside him, holding his hand and keeping him grounded.

"There _isn't_ any time Gladio...there isn't time for me to get better, not with the days growing shorter and the empire drawing nearer..."

Ignis heard Gladio stand up and he tilted his face up, following the sound confused until a heavy weight joined him on the bed, the warm familiar contours of his lover's body enveloping him in a hug. Big warm hands pressed Ignis against his chest and the smell of leather and steel and dark cologne- a smell unique to Gladio- filled his nostrils, the physical contact calming Ignis more than any words could.

"Then we can make some. Iggy, Noct won't be waking up any time soon and in the mean time you can take all the time you need. _No one_ is expecting you to be perfect right away so please," Gladio pressed his lips to Ignis' forehead, his hands coming up to cup the sides of his face, "be a little kinder on yourself. You've just lost your sight, the end of the world can fucking wait a second for you to pick yourself up okay?"

Ignis wanted to protest. He wanted to tell Gladio that the end of the world wouldn't wait, that he couldn't afford to wallow in self pity, but he found that the words eluded him. Instead, he forced himself to relax, to rest his head on Gladio's shoulder and let the tears flow, to let his lover lean them back into the bed and card fingers through his hair, to listen to Gladio's heart beat in his chest, the sound rhythmic and soothing, promising Ignis that everything would be alright.

"Okay," he whispered

Carefully, Ignis curled a hand in Gladio's tank top, burying his face into the crook of Gladio's neck and breathed it all in. This time, he would just have to trust that Gladio was right, that they had time. They could do this.

They could do anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I have a few other stories in the works as we speak including some shameless Gladnis PWPs, an emotional one-shot where I pick on Prompto some more because I'm mean, and- if enough people are interested- maybe something featuring the previous generation (some more action featuring the boys' moms or maybe some Regis/Clarus emotional hurt/comfort?) so if any of that catches your attention let me know so I know what to finish first.
> 
> Anyway, Comments and Kudos are always appreciated and if you liked this story feel free to check out my other Gladnis fics!


End file.
